Tyler Zeller Day

Why is it that sportswriters seem to write about the same player on the same day?  Do they have a breakfast meeting and pick one together?  Anyway, today seems to be Tyler Zeller's day in the sun, so I'm just going to put them all here. Also, a good chance to compare three local sportswriters, writing on the same day, about the same player to see who is the least insipid.


http://www.masslive.com/celtics/index.ssf/2014/09/tyler_zeller_wants_to_start_at.html



Bulked-up Tyler Zeller eager to claim starting center spot for Boston Celtics, hopes for playoffs, 'very excited' to be coached by Brad Stevens


Print Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com  
on September 16, 2014 at 5:50 PM, updated September 16, 2014 at 5:52 PM





LOWELL – Recalling his first meeting with Brad Stevens, Tyler Zeller could remember nothing specific.

"Not really," he said, trying to conjure a memory from when Stevens was still an assistant coach at Butler, recruiting Zeller's older brother Luke. "I was younger. I actually wasn't very good at basketball at that point in time. It wasn't anything (like) I knew I would play in college by any means."

Tyler Zeller exceeded his basketball expectations, though, eventually improving so much Stevens decided not to recruit him heavily. Butler would not have had a chance. Zeller committed to North Carolina, captured the ACC Player of the Year, became a first-round pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and made the All-Rookie second team in 2013.

One uneven season later, he was traded to the Boston Celtics and will reunite with Stevens. After just a little time in town, Zeller considers his new coach "brilliant."

"I'm very excited just because of his basketball IQ and how brilliant of a coach he is," Zeller said Tuesday afternoon at the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, where he took a tour of the facilities and helped out the other volunteers. "I knew Gordon Hayward, who played for him, and he was always excited about his basketball IQ and stuff. So I'm very excited about that."

"I'm very excited," Zeller added. "I know Coach Stevens is a very intelligent basketball coach and his basketball IQ is kind of off the charts. I'm very excited. I've been working with him the past few weeks. Everything has been very exciting, just to see his basketball knowledge and just how detailed he is. I'm very excited about that."

Just because he said so six times, I would guess Zeller is very excited to work with Stevens.

The big man sees opportunity in Boston. He notices all the youth, the need for a true center. Asked about the potential to start or earn big minutes, he replied, "I hope so, yeah. I think that's the goal anywhere you go, and it's my goal this year. But I have a lot of work to be able to earn that spot and I expect to have to earn it. But I think it is a great opportunity and I'm going to do everything I can for that."

Zeller's minutes fell during his second season in Cleveland, but his production actually climbed. His field goal percentage jumped from 43.8 to 53.8, while his rebound rate (the percentage of available rebounds he grabbed) rose from 12.5 to 15.1. He said he felt more comfortable with the speed of the NBA game, but still wanted to make some changes to his body.

"I felt like last year I played a little underweight (at about 250 pounds), and if I gained 10 or 15 pounds, I would be able to hold my own a lot better down low," he said. "I was able to do that and hopefully I can continue to get better and better. I hope that will help me hold my own rebounding-wise as well as in the post."

What is his ideal playing weight?

"Between 260 and 270 I think," Zeller said. "For a (center) I think that's a reasonable weight. You've got guys like Dwight (Howard), people like that who are 300 pounds. So you've got to be able to hold your own against them, but you also have to be able to move with the guys who weigh less than that."

Zeller added: "I really (just want to bring) an inside presence. I think I can rebound, I can be a big body if you need that. And then the ability to run the floor, and get out, and try to push the pace. Really just try to help my team in any way possible."

A few other notes from the conversation -- Zeller's first with the Boston media since the trade -- follow.

Zeller does not predict the 2014-15 Celtics will go down as an all-time great team, but he does see some potential on the roster. "We’re probably not going to win 60 games this year and set records with wins or anything like that," he said. "But I think we have a great opportunity to make the playoffs and make a run there. I think it’s also an opportunity where, if you lose a couple in a row, you have to stay focused and can’t get discouraged and just keep working away."

After averaging 26.4 minutes as a rookie, Zeller played just 15.4 per game during his second season. "We had a change in the whole system, different players, a different coach, kind of different everything," he said. "It was one of those things where I got my appendix out in training camp, so I was kind of always trying to catch up from that. So I don't really know if it was one thing. I think it was a lot of things, and then toward the end of the year I kind of started hitting a little bit of a groove. And hopefully I can continue that."

Despite his best efforts, Zeller wasn't always a help at the food kitchen. "We sorted some food, we filled some bags to give the kids if they don't have food, or they need more food on the weekends. Just kind of helped out the volunteers in any way possible," he explained. "I broke a box which spilled macaroni all over the floor, so I wasn't always productive. But I tried."

One of the volunteers suggested the Celtics should trade Rajon Rondo and replace him with Zeller at point guard. "You don't want that," Zeller deadpanned moments after dropping a box of macaroni on the floor.

Zeller met with the Celtics at the 2012 NBA Draft combine, but did not work out for the team. "I didn’t really get an opportunity to make it out here," he said. "I was hoping I wouldn’t go that low, but you never know." He ended up going No. 17, four slots before Boston selected Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo with back-to-back picks.

Knowing the Cavaliers might shed salary to chase LeBron James, Zeller did not sound surprised to be traded. Cleveland moved him to Boston in July along with Marcus Thornton (via the Nets) and a 2016 first-round pick. "There were kind of rumors all year about a million different things going on," Zeller said. "I know at the trade deadline, there was talk of being traded then. It's kind of one of those things where if you play in the NBA, you have to be prepared for it at any time. And you have to do the best with wherever you are. I was very excited to be here and I think it's a great opportunity."

The trade actually happened four days before Zeller married his wife, Caitlyn, who also volunteered at the food bank. He called her to break the news. "She was getting her hair done, a practice 'do or whatever, and her mom picked up. I was like, ‘I need to talk to my fiancé,'" said Zeller. "(His mother-in-law) was like, ‘OK, she’ll call you when she gets done.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, I kind of need to talk to her now.’ (The call) went well, she took it very well and she's very excited to be here."

Very excited. That seems to be the theme.




bob



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http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/zeller-looking-earn-spot-cs-starting-lineup



Zeller looking to earn spot in C's starting lineup
September 16, 2014, 6:15 pm






LOWELL, Mass. — Regardless of the time of year, NBA players will tell you there's never a good time to be traded.

How about the week of your wedding?

Yup.

Welcome to the world of Tyler Zeller, whose nuptials came just days after being traded by Cleveland to Boston.

"She took it well," Zeller said of his wife Caitlyn who was assisting him along with other volunteers at the Merrimack Valley Food Bank on Tuesday. "She's excited to be here."

And so is Zeller whose looking to jumpstart a career that began with such promise but seemed to have stalled out a year ago in Cleveland.

Zeller had his appendix removed during training camp last season which clearly set him back both physically as well as in establishing a spot in the Cavaliers' rotation.

After averaging 26.4 minutes per game as a rookie which helped land him a spot on the NBA's all-rookie second team, Zeller played just four minutes in Cleveland's only game last October and averaged 8.1 minutes for the month of November.

Last season, he appeared in 70 games while averaging 5.7 points and 4 rebounds while playing 15.1 minutes per game.

A new coaching staff and system didn't help matters, either.

"Kind of everything," Zeller said in explaining last season in Cleveland. "I got my appendix out in training camp and was always trying to catch up from that."

Even as he slowly began to round back into shape, his minutes remained inconsistent and with that came rumors of being traded.

"There were rumors all year about a million different things going on," Zeller said. "I know at the trade deadline there were talks of being traded then. It's one of those things playing in the NBA, you have to be prepared for it at any time and you have to do your best so here we are. I'm excited to be here. It's a great opportunity."

And it comes with Zeller getting a chance to play for Brad Stevens, someone he and his family are familiar with after Stevens recruited his brother Luke.

"I got to know him through that," Zeller said. "I'm very excited because of his basketball IQ and how brilliant of a coach he is. I knew Gordon Hayward played for him; he was always excited about his (Stevens) basketball IQ. I'm very excited about that."

But having that family connection won't do Zeller any good unless he delivers on the court.

The 24-year-old big man makes no secret about his goal this season is to be the Celtics' starting center.

"I hope so," said Zeller, who is 6-foot-11. "That's the goal anywhere you go and that's my goal this year. But I have a lot of work to be able to earn that spot. I expect to have to earn it. It is a great opportunity and I'm going to do everything I can for that."

Just like the Cavaliers were in a rebuilding process when he arrived there in 2012, he understands that the Celtics are in a similar situation which is why he knows as well as anyone the importance of being patient throughout the course of what will be a long season.

"It helps a lot," Zeller said of his experience from Cleveland. "It helps to know that you're probably not going to win 60 games this year and set records for wins or anything like that.

Zeller added, "I think we have a great opportunity to make the playoffs and make a run there, but it's also an opportunity if you lose a couple in a row you have to make sure you stay focused, you can't get discouraged and you have to keep working away."




bob



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http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4714636/zeller-eager-to-earn-starting-center-role



Zeller eager to earn starting center role
September, 16, 2014
SEP 16
5:01 PM ET
By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com


LOWELL, Mass. -- Four days before his July wedding, Tyler Zeller learned that he had been traded to the Boston Celtics. He phoned his wife-to-be, Caitlyn, who was too busy preparing for the big day to answer her phone.



"She was getting her hair done -- a practice 'do or whatever -- and her mom picked up. I was like, ‘I need to talk to my fiancé,’" explained Zeller. "[His mother-in-law] was like, ‘OK, she’ll call you when she gets done.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no, I kinda need to talk to her now.’ [The conversation] went well, she took it very well and she was very excited to be here."

The Zeller family visited the Merrimack Valley Food Bank to help sort and distribute goods on Tuesday afternoon. Zeller also met with Boston reporters for the first time since the July swap that saw Boston bring him on, along with Marcus Thornton, as part of a three-way trade in which the team utilized a hefty trade exception.

With two months to process the change of address, Zeller expressed excitement to be with the Celtics. In fact, he used the word "excited" nine times during a nine-minute Q&A with reporters, particularly when referencing a partnership with head coach Brad Stevens.

"I know Coach Stevens is a very intelligent basketball coach; his basketball IQ is kinda off the charts, so I’m very excited," said Zeller. "And working him the past few weeks, everything has been very exciting, just to see his basketball knowledge and just how detailed he is."

The 24-year-old Zeller -- the middle of three NBA-playing Zeller brothers -- is familiar with Stevens after the former Butler helmsman recruited his siblings. Stevens has previously admitted he never really had a shot at Tyler, who landed at the University of North Carolina.

"He didn’t recruit me as heavily, but he recruited my older brother, Luke, very heavily, so I kinda got to know him through that," said Zeller. "I’m just very excited because of his basketball IQ and how brilliant of a coach he is. I know Gordon Hayward, who played for him, and he was always excited about his basketball IQ."

Zeller doesn't remember the first time he crossed paths with Stevens and jokes that, "I actually wasn’t very good at basketball at that point in time."

He's gotten decidedly better, emerging as the 17th pick in the 2012 draft. Now Stevens is hoping to maximize that potential in Boston, where a roster lacking pure size ought to give Zeller every opportunity to earn heavy minutes at the center position.

But Zeller isn't taking the starting spot for granted.

"I think [starting at center is] my goal this year," said Zeller. "I have a lot of work to do to earn that spot. I expect to have to earn it. But I think it is a great opportunity."

The first step in that process was bulking up this offseason. Zeller, who played at around 250 pounds in Cleveland last year, said he has added about 10 to 15 pounds with a desire to increase his ability to joust among the league's giants.

"I feel like I’m doing well," said Zeller. "I felt like last year I played a little underweight and if I gained 10-15 pounds, I’d be able to hold my own a lot better down there. I was able to do that, and hopefully I can continue to get better and better. I hope that will help me hold my own, rebounding-wise, as well as in the post."

Zeller is hoping to find a balance between adding bulk and maintaing an ability to run the floor. He's hoping to fuel an up-tempo offense by rebounding and pushing the pace.

Read on for other notes and quotes from his Q&A:

• Sophomore slump?: Zeller's numbers dipped a bit in Year 2, likely the result of inconsistent playing time. Asked about the downturn, Zeller noted how Cleveland experienced a "change in the whole system -- different players, different coach, different everything. It was one of those things where -- I got my appendix out in training camp, so I was always trying to catch up from that. I don’t really know if it was one thing, I think it was a lot of things, then towards the end of the year I kinda started hitting a little bit of a groove and hopefully I can continue that."

• More rebuilding: Zeller keeps a sense of humor about being dealt from a team that's now the favorite to win the NBA title. In a way, the Celtics helped facilitate LeBron James' return to Cleveland by taking on Zeller's contract as part of the trade. Zeller knew his future with the Cavaliers wasn't certain. "There was kind of rumors all year about a million different things going on," he said. "I know at the trade deadline there was talks of being traded then. It’s one of those things that, when you play in the NBA, you have to be prepared for at any time and you have to do your best wherever you are. I’m really excited to be here and I think it’s a great opportunity."

• Echoes playoff hopes: Zeller joined the early chorus of Celtics players who believe the team has the potential to exceed expectations, but understands the situation here. "It helps to know that we’re probably not going to win 60 games and set records with wins or anything like that," said Zeller. "But I think we have a great opportunity to make the playoffs and make a run there. I think it’s also an opportunity where, if you lose a couple in a row, you have to stay focused and can’t get discouraged and just keep working away."

• Never visited Boston: The Celtics had two picks in the 2012 draft -- Nos. 21 and 22 -- but Zeller never came for a pre-draft workout. "I did an interview with them [at the pre-draft combine in] Chicago," he said. "But I didn’t really get an opportunity to make it out here. I was hoping I wouldn’t go that low, but you never know." The Celtics snagged potential frontcourt partner Jared Sullinger at No. 21, then swung and missed on center Fab Melo a spot later.

• Still getting back in shape: Zeller joked he fumbled some food items at the Food Bank. "We kinda helped out the volunteers in any way possible, sorted some food," he said. "I broke a box, spilled macaroni all over the floor. So I wasn’t always productive, but I tried."




bob



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Well, at least he doesn't underestimate his opponents.  Dwight Howard is listed not at 300 but at 240.  Of course, the 240 may be an old, holdover figure; but I seriously doubt that he's anywhere near the 300 level.

I do like Tyler's emphasis on working effectively down low.  It's refreshing not to see one mention of the three point shot in a big man interview.

Sam

Sam